EXCLUSIVE: British actor Ray Panthaki has joined the Wash Westmoreland-directed biopic Colette, starring Keira Knightley and Dominic West. Panthaki, who was a 2014 BAFTA Breakthrough Brit, will play real-life French writer and playwright Pierre Veber.

Co-written by Westmoreland and the late Richard Glatzer with revisions by Rebecca Lenkiewicz, Colette follows the story of Sidonie Colette (Knightley) and her husband, the charismatic, egomaniacal writer Willy (West). Willy introduces Colette to hedonistic Paris, and with her creative appetite unlocked she begins to write novels; however, Willy only allows her to do so in his name. The phenomenal success of her Claudine novel series makes Willy a famous writer, yet the lack of recognition for her work sparks the breakdown of their marriage.

The film is produced by Killer Films’ Pamela Koffler, Number 9 Films’ Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley, Killer Films’ Christine Vachon and Bold Films’ Michel Litvak and Gary Michael Walters.

Panthaki, whose credits include Kidulthood and 28 Days Later, next can be seen reprising his role alongside Anna Friel for Season 2 of Netflix and ITV’s hit series Marcella.

He is repped by CAA and Alan Siegel Entertainment in the U.S. and CAM in the UK.